Hook and eye structure



May 3, 1966 B. R. SILVER HOOK AND EYE STRUCTURE Filed May 1. 1964 United States Patent 3,248,768 HQOK AND EYE STRUCTURE Bernard R. Silver, Providence, R.I., assignor to Ran Fastener Company, Providence, R.I., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed May 1, 1964, Ser. No. 364,179 3 Claims. c1. 24-225 opposite side of the opening. The hook element detachably engages the eye element to hold edges of the waistband together.

Heretofore, the eye element and the hook element were attached, as shown in Patent No. 3,120,045, issued February 4, 1964, to the present assignee, to the material of the garmentor other support sheet by means of a tubular eyelet. This mode of atachment requires that the hook and the eye elements be provided with means to prevent their rotating about their mounting. 'The present invention contemplates the use of novel means and devices for securing the elements to the garment firmly and in a manner to resist rotation. The mode of attachment herein disclosed renders it possibly to use standard automatic or manually operated equipment, now used for attaching snap fasteners, for attaching the hook and eye elements to the support sheet.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide novel hook and eye elements with novel means to resist turning in their mounting.

Another object is to provide novel means and devices for mounting hook and eye elements on a support sheet by means oficonventional fastener attaching equipment.

Another object is to provide a novel hook element which is simple and inexpensive in its manufacture and installation, and eificient and effective at all times.

Another object is to provide a novel eye element which is simple and inexpensive in its manufacture and installation, and eflicient and effective at all times.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a trouser fly con struction showing the improved hook and eye elements of the present invention attached to the waistband thereof.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hook element.

FIG. 3, is a bottom plan view of the hook element.

FIG. 4 is an enlargement central sectional view of the hook element taken on line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the eye element, taken on line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the two-pronged tack.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the eye element and attaching member.

Referring to the exemplary disclosure of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, the fragmentary part of a garment, illustrated, for purposes of disclosure, includes portions 11 and 12 and the usual waistband 13 stitched to the upper ends of said portions.

the two meeting The two portions, which constitute a fly-front of the garment, may be secured together closed as by means of a slide fastener 14.

The overlapped ends of waistband 13 have secured thereto a novel hook element 15 and a complemental novel eye element 16. It should be evident that the overlapping ends of the waistband are secured together by inserting the hook element into the eye element. In the present disclosure, the hook and eye elements are each of novel construction and each is secured to the respective waistband by novel means that permits the use of conventional fastener attaching equipment.

More particularly and with specific reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the hook element 15 consists of a metallic stamping having a base portion 17 and a reversedly curved hook portion 18 spaced one from the other so as to allow the portion 18 to be received in the eye element 16. The base portion 17 has a pair of perforations 19 therein, and the base material surrounding the perforations is offset in the direction of its bottom face, as at 21, to provide a substantially oval recess 22 on the inside or uppermost face of said base portion. When attaching the hook element 15 to the waistband, the bottom face of the base portion is seated against one face of the garment material and a two pronged tack 23 is arranged on the opposite face of said material. The material may be prepunched to receive prongs 24 of said tack 23 or said prongs may pierce the material during the attaching operation now to be described.

With the parts partially assembled as aforesaid, and with the two-pronged tack 23 seated upon a die (not shown) an offsetting tool is moved downwardly freely through a clearance opening 25 in hook portion 18 and into engagement with the free ends of prongs 24 so as to bend or swage same into tight binding engagement with the surface of recess 22. The presence of the two prongs prevents unwanted rotation of the mounted hook element 18.

The eye element 16 is mounted on the companion garment part in'substantially the same manner. More specifically, a two pronged-tack 26 (FIG. 6) which is like tack 23, is projected through the material of the waistband from one side thereof into tight binding engagement with eye element seated on the other side thereof. Referring particularly to the FIG. 7 disclosure, the eye element 16 is comprised of two parts 27, 28, joined together rigidly to define a loop con-figuration. The part 27 consists of a metallic stamping having an elongated body 29 and end portions 31 extending normal to the plane of the body portion and each formed with a free end portion 32 of reduced width. A centrally located opening 33 is provided in said body portion.

The other part 28 consists of a metallic stamping having a body portion 34 rolled at its ends to define end flanges 35, the free edges of which abut the bottom face of body portion 29 when the two parts are assembled. Such assembly is effected by providing substantially square openings 36 in body portion 34, one inwardly of each end flange 35 each to receive the terminal end-of one of the end portions 32 when the latter are rolled inwardly reversedly as shown in FIG. 5. Said portion 28' also has a pair of apertures 37 and the surrounding margin of the body is deflected out of the plane of said body portion to define an oval recess 38.

To mount the eye element 16, is it placed with the bottom surface of body portion 28 against the garment material and the prongs 39 of a tack 26 are thrust through the garment material and into and through apertures 37. A tool, not shown, then is inserted through opening 33 and engaged with the projecting ends of the prongs 39 for bending or swaging same into tight engagement with the recessed margin surrounding said apertures. The external base flange of said tack 26 is brought into tight binding engagement with the garment material, and the two spaced prongs prevent rotation of the elongated eye element relative to its mounting.

It should be observed that in both the hook assembly and the eye assembly, the opening provided for passage of a tool to the tack prongs is of a size somewhat larger than the area occupied by the prongs to insure adequate clearance for the tool irrespective of its specific dimensions or characteristics. Further, the surface of the tack head in both applications is serrated, as at 41, to assist resistance to rotation of the assembly.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim:

1. A f-astener eye element adapted to be mounted on a support sheet comprising a first strap-like body portion, a second strap-like body portion having upstanding end flanges and apertures inwardly thereof, tongues on the ends of the first strap-like portion overlying the outside faces of the upstanding flanges and threaded one through each aperture, said flanges functioning as spacers to hold the first strap-like body portion to define an elongated loop, said second strap-like body portion having spaced openings therein, the upper surface of the second straplike body portion being recessed in the area surround-ing both of said openings, and a tack comprised of a head and spaced prongs extending from one face of the head and through said openings, there being serrations covering the entire surface of said tack head bearing the prongs, the first strap-like body portion having a tool opening therein in register with the spaced openings in the second strap-like body portion, and said prongs being deformed over the second strap-like body portion to bind the support sheet between said second strap-like body portion and the head of the tack.

2. A fastener eye element adapted to .be mounted on a support sheet comprising, a first strap-like body portion, a second strap-like body portion spaced from and secured firmly in overlying relation to the first strap-like portion, to define an elongated loop, said second straplike body portion having spaced openings therein, the upper surface of the second strap-like body portion being recessed in the area surrounding both of said openings, a tack comprised of a head and spaced prongs extending from one face of the head and through said openings, sen rations covering the entire surface of said tack head bearing the prongs, the first strap-like body portion having a tool opening therein in register with the spaced openings in the second strap-like body portion, and said prongs being deformed over the second strap-like 'body portion to bind the support sheet between said second strap-like body portion and the head of the tack.

3. A fastener eye element adapted to be mounted on a support sheet comprising, upper and lower wall portions connected firmly one to the other at complemental ends, said lower wall portion having a pair of spaced openings therein, the upper surface of the lower wall portion being recessed in the area surrounding .both of said openings, a tack comprised of a head and a spaced pair of prongs extending from one face of the head and one through each opening, serrations covering substantially the entire surface of said tack head bearing said prongs, said upper wall portion having a tool opening therein in register with the spaced openings in the lower wall portion, and said prongs being deformed over the recessed lower wall portion to bind the support sheet between the lower wall portion and the head of the tack.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 234,888 11/1880 Neider 24208 771,353 10/1904 Custer 24226 1,095,794 5/1914 Braecklein 24227 1,228,181 5/1917 Cody 24222 3,120,045 2/ 1964 Silver et al. 24225 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,478 1905 Great Britain. 192,836 4/1938 Switzerland.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FASTENER EYE ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A SUPPORT SHEET COMPRISING, A FIRST STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION, A SECOND STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION SPACED FROM AND SECURED FIRMLY IN OVERLYING RELATION TO THE FIRST STRAP-LIKE PORTION, TO DEFINE AN ELONGATED LOOP, SAID SECOND STRAPLIKE BODY PORTION HAVING SPACED OPENINGS THEREIN, THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE SECOND STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION BEING RECESSED IN THE AREA SURROUNDING BOTH OF SAID OPENINGS, A TACK COMPRISED OF A HEAD AND SPACED PRONGS EXTENDING FROM ONE FACE OF THE HEAD AND THROUGH SAID OPENINGS, SER- 